Gasket, a bipolar battery and a method for manufacturing a bipolar battery with such a gasket

ABSTRACT

A gasket is for use in a starved electrolyte bipolar battery. The gasket may be made from a hydrophobic material in the shape of a frame to prevent the creation of an electrolyte path between adjacent cells when mounted in a battery. The frame may be designed to at least partially encompass a biplate when mounted in a bipolar battery, and include a device or way to permit gas passage through the gasket. The gasket may be made from a material with deformable properties to provide a sealing to a biplate and/or endplate when mounted in a bipolar battery, whereby an outer pressure tight seal of the battery may be obtained. A starved bipolar battery and a method for manufacturing a starved bipolar battery are also disclosed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to a gasket, and/or to a bipolarbattery including at least one gasket. The present invention alsogenerally relates to a method for manufacturing a bipolar battery.

BACKGROUND

A bipolar battery construction includes an electrically conductivebipolar layer, so called biplate, that serves as electricalinterconnection between adjacent cells in the battery as well as apartition between the cells. For efficient utilization of the bipolarconstruction, the biplate should be sufficiently conductive to transmitcurrent from cell to cell, chemically stable in the cell's environment,capable of making and maintaining good contact to the electrodes andcapable of being electrically insulated and sealable around theboundaries of the cell so as to contain electrolyte in the cell.

The above is more difficult to achieve in rechargeable batteries due tothe charging potential that can generate gas inside the battery, and inalkaline batteries due to the creep nature of electrolyte. Achieving adesired combination of these characteristics has proven very difficult.

For maintenance-free operation, it is desirable to operate rechargeablebatteries in a sealed configuration. However, sealed bipolar designstypically utilizes flat electrodes and stacked-cell constructions thatare structurally poor for containment of gases present and generatedduring cell operation. In a sealed construction, gases generated duringcharging should be chemically recombined within the cell for stableoperation. The pressure-containment requirement creates additionalchallenges in the design of a stable bipolar configuration.

New desires in the field of transportation, communications, medical andpower tools are generating specifications that existing batteries cannotmeet. These include higher cycle life and the need for rapid andefficient recharges.

NiMH systems are seen as the alternative to meet cycle life, but costsfor existing conventional fabrication are too high.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,723 by Bronoel et al., a bipolar battery isdisclosed having a common gas chamber, which is created by providing anopening through the biplate (conductive support/separator). The openingis also provided with a hydrophobic barrier to prevent passage ofelectrolyte through the hole. Although a problem with pressuredifferences between the cells may be avoided, there is still adisadvantage with the described battery. The outer sealing around theedge of each biplate still has to be fluid-tight, which is verydifficult to achieve. If the outer sealing is not fluid-tight, theelectrolyte, contained in the separator between the electrodes and inthe electrodes, may migrate from one cell to another.

In the published international patent application Ser. No. WO 03/026042A1 assigned to the present applicant, the entire content of which ishereby incorporated herein by reference, a different solution comparedto the solution described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,723, is proposed wherea hydrophobic barrier is introduced around the electrodes instead ofaround the opening in the biplate. A pressure relief valve is alsointroduced to prevent a too high pressure to build up inside the case.It may, however, be rather expensive to manufacture a bipolar battery ofthis design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above, one need to construct a new bipolar battery hasbeen discovered, having less number of components and/or using lesscomplicated processing steps to manufacture a bipolar battery, forexample.

One possible object of an embodiment of the present application may beto provide a gasket that will simplify the manufacturing process of abipolar battery.

A further possible object of an embodiment may be to provide a bipolarbattery that is easy to manufacture.

Still a further possible object of an embodiment of the invention may beto provide a method for manufacturing a bipolar battery, using thegasket, that is simplified compared to prior art methods.

One possible advantage of an embodiment of the present invention is thatmore energy may be stored in the battery compared to prior artbatteries. This is because the gasket can act as a hydrophobic barrier,a pressure tight sealing and provides means to create a common gas spacewithin the battery. This in turn may make it possible to moreefficiently use the available space and larger electrodes may be usedcompared to prior art batteries.

Another advantage is that the present invention provides additional costand assembly benefits compared to prior art devices.

Further objects and advantages of embodiments of the present inventionwill be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription of the disclosed bipolar electrochemical battery and thebiplate assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description of preferred embodiments given hereinbelow and theaccompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only andthus are not limitative of the present invention.

Further, the different embodiments shown in the appended drawings arenot to scale or proportion, but exaggerated to point out differentimportant features for the sake of clarity.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a gasket according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show cross-sectional views of the gasket in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a gasket according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b show cross-sectional views of the gasket in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of a gasket according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b show cross-sectional views of the gasket in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a bipolar battery according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a battery according to an embodimentof the invention provided with adjustable terminal connectors.

FIGS. 9 a-9 c show three different devices for vacuum filling a bipolarbattery with a common gas space.

FIG. 10 shows a first flow chart for manufacturing a bipolar batteryaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 shows a second flow chart for manufacturing a bipolar batteryaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart for filling a bipolar battery withelectrolyte.

FIG. 13 shows a flow chart for formation of a bipolar battery.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Some benefits of the bipolar battery design include simplicity and lowresistance losses. The parts count of the battery is relative low,including only end plates and biplates, with appropriate assembly ofelectrodes, separators and electrolyte and sealing components. Batteriesof a desired voltage are constructed by stacking the required number ofbiplates. The electrical connections between the cells are made as thebattery is stacked, since each biplate is electrically conductive andimpervious to electrolyte.

With the terminals at each end, the flow of current is perpendicular tothe plate, which ensures uniform current and voltage distribution. Sincethe current path is very short the voltage drop is significantlyreduced.

Bipolar batteries will also have significantly reduced weight, volumeand manufacturing costs due to elimination of components and themanufacturing approach.

One large problem with bipolar batteries is obtaining a reliable sealbetween cells within the bipolar battery. Different solutions to thisproblem have been disclosed in the published international patentapplications WO 03/009413, WO 03/026055 and WO 03/026042, and in thenon-published pending U.S. application Ser. Nos. 10/434167 and10/434168, all assigned to the present applicant and all herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The seal on a cell is of extreme importance for all types of batteries,and bipolar batteries are no exception. Individual cells contain theactive materials (for NiMH batteries it is Nickel hydroxide positive andmetal hydride hydrogen storage alloy negative, respectively), separatorand electrolyte. The electrolyte in the separator is required for iontransport between the electrodes and the separator provides insulationto the conduction of electronic current flow between the electrodes. Thebest designs, optimised for longevity, weight and volume, requirerecombination of gasses.

Batteries always produce gasses as they are charged. The gassing rateincreases as the battery nears full charge, and reaches maximum whenfully charged. The gasses which are produced are primarily oxygen andhydrogen.

For Nickel based bipolar batteries, such as NiMH and NiCd, oxygen willrecombine relatively rapidly with available active material in thenegative electrode. Batteries are normally designed so oxygen will bethe first gas generated if the cell is overcharged. This includes twoactions:

-   -   1) Overbuild the negative active material, generally by 30%, to        ensure that the positive electrode, which will gas oxygen on        charge, will be the first to gas.    -   2) In a starved electrolyte battery, provide for gas passage        from the positive to the negative, where the oxygen will        recombine. The gas passages are obtained by controlling the        amount of electrolyte within the pores of the electrode and        through the separator. All surfaces of the electrode must be        covered by a thin layer of electrolyte for the transport of        ions, but the layer must be thin enough to permit gas diffusion        through the layer, and must allow gas passages throughout the        active layers and the separator.

The negative electrode would gas hydrogen if overcharged. Becausegaseous Hydrogen does not recombine quickly, pressure would build upwithin the cell. The oxygen recombination effectively discharges thenegative at the same rate it is being charged, thus preventingovercharge of the negative.

The surface area of the active material, combined with the uniformvoltage distribution of the bipolar design, enhances rapidrecombination.

For clarity sake, a starved electrolyte battery is defined as is anessentially moist but not wet construction, as opposed to floodedbatteries like a typical lead acid car battery.

The bipolar approach will permit that the voltage drop across the activematerial will be uniform in all areas, so that the entire electrode willcome up to full charge at the same time. This will avoid a large problemin conventional constructions, where parts of an electrode areovercharging and gassing while other (remote) areas of the electrode arenot yet fully charged.

The cells in regular batteries are sealed to contain the electrolyteboth for proper performance of the cells, and to prevent electrolytepaths, i.e. continuous ionically conductive paths, between adjacentcells. The presence of electrolyte paths between cells will allow theelectrolyte-connected cells to discharge at a rate that is determined bythe resistance of the path (length of path and cross section of path).The seals on bipolar batteries are more important because theelectrolyte path is potentially much shorter. It should be noted that animportant feature of this disclosure is the use of a gasket with anintegrated electrolyte barrier to minimize or eliminate the conductivityof any potential ionic conduction path. An additional concern is theamount of heat generated by operation of the cell. Depending on themagnitude of heat generated, the design should be able to reject theheat and maintain a safe operating temperature.

If an electrolyte path is developed between cells, a small intercellularleakage can be overcome by the periodic full charging of the battery.The battery may be overcharged by a set amount and at a low rate. Thelow rate would allow fully charged cells to recombine gasses withoutgenerating pressure and dissipate the heat from therecombination/overcharge. Cells that have small intercellular electricalleakage paths would become balanced.

It is rarely necessary that a battery be fully charged to achieve itsuseful function. Batteries are routinely over specified and overbuilt.If an operation requires 50 AH (Ampere Hours), the requirement isusually specified at least 10% higher. Since batteries lose capacityover their lifetime, the capacity of a new battery is increased by theexpected loss, resulting in possibly a 70 AH requirement for a newbattery in this example. The manufacturer will probably have a mediandesign target of 75 AH to allow for variations in the manufacturingprocess. Much of this overbuild is to compensate for the life capacitydegradation that is caused by the overcharging.

One feature of an embodiment of the novel bipolar batteries is thecreation of a common gas space within the battery. The device forcreating a common gas space for all cells in a bipolar battery includesa gasket having a predetermined shape. The gasket is arranged betweenadjacent biplates and/or a biplate and an end plate, as described below.The gasket is preferably made with a thermoplastic elastomer compoundthat forms a seal with the biplate under pressure. One or more gaschannels are molded into the frame to ensure gas leakage path. Whenseveral gaskets are stacked upon each other, as described in connectionwith FIG. 7, a common gas space will be created which will avoid apressure difference between the cells in a bipolar battery.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a gasket 10 according to theinvention. The gasket 10 is manufactured in a hydrophobic materialhaving deformable properties, such as an elastomer or other materialthat create a continuous seal when deformed, to be able to function as asealing. The gasket preferably has elastic properties, and a suitablematerial is a thermoplastic elastomer. Thermoplastic elastomers may beobtained from several manufacturers e.g. Engage® 8407 available fromDuPont Dow Elastomers, DYNAFLEX® G2780-001 available from GLS Corp. orKRATON™ G-7705 available from Kraton™ Polymers. The gasket is preferablyinjection molded into the desired size and shape.

The gasket 10 is provided with a rim 11 at the edge on the upper sideand a corresponding indentation 12 on the reverse side. The rim 11 andthe indentation 12 will provide alignment of the gaskets when they arestacked upon each other in an assembled battery, see FIG. 7. The rimfurther serves to align the biplate relative to the gasket. The gasketis further provided with a through-hole 13 and a groove 14 to connectthe through-hole 13 to the space on the inside of the gasket 10 when abiplate is mounted to the gasket. The through-hole 13 and the groove 14provide a gas channel between adjacent cells in the assembled battery,and the hydrophobic properties of the gasket prevent electrolyte fromcreating an ionically conductive path between adjacent cells. The gasketthus can, when mounted:

-   -   1) prevent electrolyte from creating an ionically conductive        path (leakage) between adjacent cells in a bipolar battery,    -   2) provide a gas channel between adjacent cells to create a        common gas space within a bipolar battery,    -   3) provide an outer pressure tight seal for the cells in a        bipolar battery, and/or    -   4) provide an electrically insulating support structure between        biplates and between the biplates and the endplates.

FIG. 2 a shows a cross-sectional view of the gasket in FIG. 1 along A-A,and FIG. 2 b sows a cross-sectional view of the gasket in FIG. 1 alongB-B. The presence of a second gasket 10′ is indicated in the figures tofurther show how the rim 11 is intended to be received in theindentation when mounted in a battery.

A biplate 15 is shown with a dashed line in FIGS. 1, 2 a and 2 b toindicate the position of a biplate 15 in an assembled bipolar battery.It should be noted that the biplate should not occlude the opening ofthe through-hole 13 to provide the common gas space, but a portion ofthe groove 14 should be covered by a biplate 15 to prevent electrolyteleakage between cells. A biplate with a hole aligned with the hole inthe gasket may alternatively be employed to serve the purposes listedhere.

FIG. 3 shows a partial view of a second embodiment of a gasket 20according to the invention. The gasket 20 is provided with a rim 11 anda corresponding indentation 12, as described above. The gasket isprovided with two rather small through-holes 21, each having a groove 22to connect the through-hole 21 to the space inside the gasket aspreviously described in connection with FIG. 1. A biplate 15 is alsoshown with a dashed line to indicate the position of a biplate 15 in anassembled bipolar battery. To prevent the biplate to be misalignedduring assembling of the battery, a guidance device 23, such as a boss,may be provided on the gasket 20. It should be noted that it isadvantageous that the boss is designed in such a way that a passagewaymay be established between the two through-holes beside the biplate ofeach cell. In this embodiment the boss does not stretch all the way fromthe biplate to the rim.

FIG. 4 a is a cross-sectional view along A-A in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4 b isa cross-sectional view along B-B in FIG. 3. The presence of a secondgasket 20′ is indicated in the figures to further show how the rim 11 isintended to be received in the indentation 12 when mounted in a battery.

FIG. 5 shows a partial view of a third embodiment of a gasket 30according to the invention. The gasket 30 is provided with a rim 11 anda corresponding indentation 12, as described above. The gasket isprovided with five rather small through-holes 31, each having a groove32 to connect the through-hole 31 to the space inside the gasket aspreviously described in connection with FIG. 1. A biplate 15 is alsoshown with a dashed line to indicate the position of a biplate 15 in anassembled bipolar battery. To prevent the biplate to be misalignedduring assembling of the battery, several guidance devices 33, such asbosses, may be provided on the gasket 30. It should be noted that it isadvantageous that the bosses are designed in such a way that apassageway may be established between the five through-holes beside thebiplate of each cell. In this embodiment the bosses are lower than thethickness of the biplate.

FIG. 6 a is a cross-sectional view along A-A in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 b isa cross-sectional view along B-B in FIG. 5. The presence of a secondgasket 30′ is indicated in the figures to further show how the rim 11 isintended to be received in the indentation 12 when mounted in a battery.

It may be advantageous, but necessarily required, to alter the design ofthe gasket in contact with the endplates to better nest and seal withthe endplates. The endplates may have a different size than thebiplates, so the gasket may need to conform to the different size.

FIG. 7 shows a bipolar battery 40 in cross section having five cells.The battery includes a negative end plate 41 and a positive end plate42, each having a negative electrode 43 and a positive electrode 44,respectively. Four biplate assemblies, including a negative electrode 43a biplate 15, and a positive electrode 44, are stacked on top of eachother in a sandwich structure between the two end terminals. A separator45 is arranged between each adjacent negative and positive electrodesmaking up a cell, the separator 45 contains an electrolyte and apredetermined percentage of gas passages, about 5% is a typical valuefor gas passages in starved electrolyte batteries.

A gasket 10, as described in connection with FIG. 1, is provided betweenadjacent biplates and/or a biplate and an end plate. As indicated in thefigure by the arrow 46, gas may flow from one cell to another andthereby all cells share a common gas space through the gas passages inthe gasket. If an electrode in a cell starts to gas before the others,this pressure will be distributed through-out the whole common gasspace. The gas will pass from a cell, through a groove 14 and via athrough-hole 13 of a first gasket to a groove 14 of a second gasket, andthereafter into a second cell.

If the pressure within the common space exceeds a predetermined value, apressure relief valve 47 will open to connect the common gas space withthe ambient environment. The pressure relief valve 47 is arrangedthrough one of the end plates, in this example the negative end plate 41and comprises a feed-through 48. in an alternative embodiment, thefeed-through 48 may be integrally formed onto the endplate 41.

Additionally, a pressure sensor (not shown) may also be mounted throughone of the end plates to measure the actual pressure inside the batterycells. The case 49 is preferably made from an insulating material, butmay naturally be made from a conductive material. Each frame ispreferably made from an insulating material and is designed in such away to ensure electrical insulation between each biplate 15 and apossibly conductive case. The gasket 10 is provided with a recess 50where the biplates and the positive end terminal 42 are placed duringmanufacture and are maintained during operation by applying a pressureas indicated by the arrows 51. The recess 50 is the space between twogaskets that will be established when the indentation 12 and the rim 11of the gasket are in communication.

The pressure is maintained by fixating a lid 52 to the case 49 by somekind of fastening means 53, such as screws, and will ensure that eachcell has a predetermined width, which is approximately equal to thecompressed height of the gasket 10.

Alternatively, the lid 52 may be fixed in position by any of severalother standard way, including crimping, interference fits, epoxy, heatseal or solvent, depending of the battery case construction and batteryapplication criteria.

It should be noted that there may be a space between the outside of thegasket 10 and the inside surface of the case 49, since the gasket itselfprovide the pressure tight seal for the battery. The case 49 with thelid 52 provide a practical solution for creating the required pressureto establish the pressure tight seal between the gaskets and thebiplates and the positive and negative endplates.

Relief valves and pressure sensors are readily available to a manskilled in the arts and are not described in more detail.

Each end plate is provided with a terminal connection. The terminalconnection includes a terminal feed-through 54, which preferably issecured to the case 49 by press-fitting. Each terminal feed-through 54is attached to each endplate 41 and 42, respectively, by soldering,gluing, welding etc. to establish a good electrical contact. Theterminal feed-through is in this embodiment provided with internalthreads. Screws 55 may be used to attach any type of terminal connectorsto the battery.

It should be noted that although FIG. 7 shows a bipolar battery having anegative endplate 41 arranged in the lower portion of the battery, thisfeature is not essential for the construction of the battery. Thenegative and positive terminal positions of the battery areinterchangeable by trading the positions of all the negative andpositive electrodes in the battery. The function of the battery willstill be the same.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a battery 40 according to anembodiment of the invention provided with adjustable terminal connectors60. A terminal connector 60 is attached to each endplate of the batteryvia the terminal feed-through 54, using a screw 55. Each terminalconnector may be directed either to the short side of the battery or thelong side of the battery. The terminal connector marked with a “P”(positive terminal) is directed to the short side of the battery and theterminal connector is bent in such a way that the far end 61 of theterminal connector 60 may be inserted into a groove 62 arranged in thecase 49 of the battery when the terminal connector is secured to theterminal feed-through 54 by the screw 55. The terminal connector is thussecured to the case.

The second terminal connector marked “N” (negative terminal) is in thisfigure directed toward the long side of the battery and likewise securedto the case 49. Each terminal connector may be rotated to a differentposition, as indicated by the arrow 63.

Furthermore, there is a possibility to embed the terminal connectorsinto the case by providing a depression in the case, as indicating bythe dashed lines 64, to allow close stacking of batteries without therisk of shorting the terminal connectors. The terminal connectors couldalso be provided with some type of insulating material, e.g. red for thepositive terminal connector and black for the negative terminalconnector. The positions of the grooves 62 on each side of the case arepreferably offset, to facilitate the use of bus bar connections.

FIGS. 9 a to 9 c show three different devices for vacuum filling abipolar battery. Normally, a NiMH-battery is filled during theassembling of the battery, and this may naturally also be performed withthis type of battery, but it is possible to use vacuum fillingtechniques to introduce electrolyte into the finished battery.

FIG. 9 a shows a first filling device 70, where a bipolar battery 40 isplaced inside a vacuum chamber 71 together with a beaker 72 ofelectrolyte (e.g. 6M KOH). A tube 73, preferably flexible, is attachedto the feed-through 48 of the pressure relief valve 47. A vacuum pipe 74is connected to the vacuum chamber 71 and thereafter divided into twobranches, where a first branch is provided with a first valve V1 inseries with a vacuum pump P, and the second branch is provided with asecond valve V2.

The procedure of vacuum filling a battery comprises the following steps:

-   -   1) Open valve V1 and let the pump P evacuate the air inside the        vacuum chamber 71. The air inside the battery 40 will also be        evacuated through the tube 73, which can be seen as bubbles in        the electrolyte.    -   2) Close valve V1 when a desired vacuum pressure has been        obtained inside the vacuum chamber 71.    -   3) Open valve V2 to increase the pressure inside the vacuum        chamber 71 by letting ambient air flow into the chamber. The        increased pressure inside the chamber will push electrolyte into        the battery 40 and slowly fill the separators and voids inside        the battery with electrolyte. The electrolyte is sucked into the        battery using capillary force.

FIG. 9 b shows a second filling device 80 where a bipolar battery 40also is placed inside a vacuum chamber 71 together with a beaker 72 ofelectrolyte (e.g. 6M KOH). A tube 73, preferably flexible, is attachedto the feed-through 48 of the pressure relief valve 47. A second opening81 into the common gas space is provided in the case of the battery. Theopening could be used for arranging a pressure sensor after theelectrolyte has been introduced into the battery. A vacuum pipe 74 isconnected to the vacuum chamber 71 and a valve V1 is provided in serieswith a vacuum pump P.

Air will be evacuated from the battery 40 through the opening 81 whenthe valve V1 is open and the vacuum pump P is decreasing the pressureinside the vacuum chamber 71. When the air is evacuated from thebattery, electrolyte will be introduced from the beaker 72, through thetube 73 and in through the feed-through 48 of the pressure relief valve47. The valve V1 is closed when enough electrolyte has been introducedinto the battery. The vacuum chamber 71 is vented and the battery, nowfilled with electrolyte, can be removed.

FIG. 9 c shows a third filling device 90 that does not contain a vacuumchamber. The feed-through 48 of the pressure release valve 47 of severalbatteries 40 may be connected to a common manifold 91. The manifold 91is connected to a first valve V1, which is in series with a vacuum pumpP. A tube 92 (or pipe) is immersed in a container 93 filled withelectrolyte. The tube 92 is connected to the manifold via a second valveV2. The device operates in the following way. The pump will evacuate theair inside all the batteries 40 when the valve V1 is opened. The valveV1 is closed when a sufficient low pressure has been obtained. The valveV2 is thereafter opened and electrolyte will be distributed to allbatteries 40 through the manifold. The electrolyte is distributed insideeach battery using capillary forces.

The manufacturing process for making a bipolar battery is described inconnection with FIGS. 10, 11, 12 and 13.

The first flow chart shown in FIG. 10 describes the process ofmanufacturing a bipolar battery, as described in connection with FIG. 7,up to a battery without any electrolyte, i.e. a dry battery. The flowstarts in step 101 and continues to step 102 and 103 in parallel. Instep 102 a feed-through 48 for the pressure relief valve 47 is assembledto the first endplate 41, and in step 103 a terminal feed-through 54 isassembled to the non-conducting case 49.

The first endplate 41 assembled with the pressure relief valvefeed-through 48 is mounted in the case 49 being provided with theterminal feed-through 54 in step 104. The terminal feed-through 54 isthereafter attached to the first endplate 41 in step 105, using any ofthe methods described above.

The desired number of battery cells M is thereafter selected in step 106and a counter is set to zero, k=0. In step 107, the counter is increasedby 1, k=k+1 and the flow continues to step 108, where cell number “k” isassembled, that is a gasket 10; 20; 30, as previously described inconnection to FIGS. 1 to 6, is mounted inside the case 49 around theedge of the end plate 41, a first electrode 43 is positioned within thegasket on top of the first endplate 41, one or more separators 45 arethereafter arranged on top of the first electrode 43 and a secondelectrode 44 is arranged on top of the separator(s) within the gasket.The gasket may alternatively be mounted after the separator(s) have beenmounted inside the case 49.

The flow continues to step 109, where a decision is made whether theselected number of cells M has been manufactured. If the answer is “No”,the flow is fed back to point 111 via step 110 where a biplate ismounted on top of the gasket. The flow repeats step 108 and 109 untilthe selected number of cells has been made.

When k=M, the flow continues to step 112 where the lid 52 of the case 49is provided with a terminal feed-through 54 and a second endplate 42 isassembled to the lid 52. The terminal feed-through 54 is thereafterattached to the second endplate 42 in step 113, using any of the methodsdescribed above.

The lid 52 is mounted to the case 49 in step 114 a pressure is appliedin step 115 to the lid 52 in a direction 51 previously described inconnection with FIG. 7. A dry bipolar battery is thereby finished instep 116.

The process of stacking battery components on top of each other to formthe right number of battery cells may naturally be performed in a numberof different ways. For instance, biplate assemblies may be provided,each comprising a first electrode attached to a first side of a biplateand a second electrode attached to a second side of the biplate, thefirst side being opposite to the second side, where the separatormaterial is added in the fed back loop instead of the biplate asdisclosed in FIG. 10. It is also possible that the material of each cellis pre-manufactured and each cell is stacked during the assemblingprocess of the battery.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart describing the process of producing a functionalbattery from the dry battery obtained in step 116, FIG. 10. The flowstarts in step 116 and continues to step 117 where the battery is filledwith electrolyte. The filling process is described in more detail inconnection with FIG. 12.

A formation procedure is thereafter performed in step 118 to initializethe battery to normal operation. This formation procedure is describedin more detail in connection with FIG. 13.

When the formation is completed, the lid 52 is fasten to the case 49 instep 119 and the pressure applied to the lid previously is released. Itis of course possible to first release the pressure and thereafterrecompress the lid to the case, fasten the lid 52 to the case 49 andthereafter release the pressure. Alternatively, fasten the lid betweensteps 115 and 116 in the dry battery assembly procedure.

The assembling of the pressure release valve is finalized in step 120,and the finished battery is optionally cycled in step 121 before thebattery is ready for shipment, step 122.

It should however be noted that it is possible to fill the battery withelectrolyte during the assembling-of each cell in step 108, but from amanufacturing point of view, the filling process as is disclosed in FIG.12 is much more simple to implement.

The process for filling of the battery in step 117, comprises attachmentof an electrolyte reservoir 72; 93 to an inlet 48 of a battery 40, e.g.the feed-through 48 of the pressure relief valve 47, see step 130.

The air in the battery is thereafter evacuated from the battery in step131, either directly or indirectly by placing the battery in a vacuumchamber 71 that is evacuated. A separate outlet 81 for the air ispossible, by the inlet 48 for the electrolyte may be used as an airoutlet during the evacuation procedure.

Electrolyte is introduced into the battery 40 in step 132 after the airhas been evacuated from the battery or during the evacuation dependenton the equipment configuration used, see FIGS. 9 a to 9 c. Theelectrolyte is distributed inside to the separators 45 inside thebattery 40 using capillary forces.

A battery filled with electrolyte is obtained in step 133.

The formation process of the battery in step 118 comprises two stages,where the first stage is charging and discharging cycles of the batteryunder “wet” conditions. The wet condition is provided in step 140 withattachment of a liquid supply to the inlet 48 of the battery. The liquidcould either be water or electrolyte.

At least two charge/discharge cycles “n” are thereafter performed instep 141.

Stage two is performed under more or less “dry” conditions by removingthe liquid supply from the inlet 48 in step 142, and thereafterperforming a predetermined number of charge/discharge cycles to dry outthe battery 40 from excess electrolyte in step 143.

A starved battery is thus produced.

Although the specification only discloses a NiMH bipolar battery, itshould be noted that the same technology may be applied when producingany type of Nickel based bipolar battery, including but not limited toNickel Cadmium NiCd bipolar batteries, Nickel Zinc NiZn bipolarbatteries, etc.

The gasket should not be limited to one used in NiMH bipolar batteries.It can include any type of bipolar battery, including but not limited toas one having a starved electrolyte configuration for example.

Exemplary embodiments being thus described, it will be obvious that thesame may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regardedas a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, andall such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art areintended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

1. A gasket for use in a bipolar battery, said gasket being made from ahydrophobic material to prevent the creation of an electrolyte pathbetween adjacent cells when mounted in a battery, the gasket furthercomprising: a frame, designed to at least partially encompass a biplatewhen mounted in a bipolar battery; and means for permitting gas passagethrough the gasket, wherein said gasket is made from a material withdeformable properties to provide a sealing to a biplate when mounted ina bipolar battery, whereby an outer pressure tight seal of the batteryis obtained.
 2. The gasket according to claim 1, wherein the means forpermitting gas passage through the gasket includes at least one channelinterconnecting adjacent cells when mounted in a battery.
 3. The gasketaccording to claim 2, wherein each at least one channel includes a holein the gasket, said hole being in communication with the inside of theouter pressure tight seal in each cell when mounted in a battery.
 4. Thegasket according to claim 1, further comprising: guiding means forcontrolling the position of a biplate during assembling of a bipolarbattery.
 5. The gasket according to claim 4, wherein the guiding meansincludes at least one boss.
 6. The gasket according to claim 1, whereinthe means for permitting gas passage are arranged on one distal end ofthe frame.
 7. The gasket according to claim 1, wherein the material withdeformable properties is elastic.
 8. The gasket according to claim 6,wherein the material is a thermoplastic elastomer.
 9. The gasketaccording to claim 7, wherein the gasket is made through an injectionmolding process.
 10. A bipolar battery having at least twoelectromechanical cells comprising: a case; a negative endplate incontact with a negative electrode; a positive endplate in contact with apositive electrode; at least one set of a negative electrode, a biplateand a positive electrode arranged in a sandwich structure between saidnegative and positive endplates; at least one separator arranged betweeneach negative and positive electrode forming a battery cell, saidseparator including an electrolyte; and a gasket in the shape of aframe, made of a hydrophobic material and arranged at least one ofbetween each biplate and between a biplate and end terminal, wherebysaid gasket prevents an electrolyte path from one cell to another cell,wherein the gasket is made from a material with deformable properties toprovide a sealing to each biplate and each end plate, whereby an outerpressure tight seal of the battery is obtained within the case, andwherein the gasket further includes means for permitting gas passagebetween adjacent cells through the gasket thereby creating a common gasspace for all cells in the battery.
 11. The battery according to claim10, wherein the means for permitting gas passage through the gasketincludes at least one channel interconnecting adjacent cells.
 12. Thebattery according to claim 11, wherein each channel includes a hole inthe gasket, said hole being in communication with the inside of theouter pressure tight seal in each cell.
 13. The battery according toclaim 10, wherein guiding means are provided in the gasket, forcontrolling the position of a biplate during assembling of a bipolarbattery.
 14. The battery according to claim 13, wherein the guidingmeans include at least one boss.
 15. The battery according to claim 10,wherein the means for permitting gas passage are arranged on one distalend of the frame.
 16. The battery according to claim 10, wherein thematerial with deformable properties is elastic.
 17. The batteryaccording to claim 10, wherein the material is a thermoplasticelastomer.
 18. The battery according to claim 16, wherein the gasket ismade through an injection molding process.
 19. The battery according toclaim 10, wherein the battery is selected from the group: NiMH, NiCd andNiZn.
 20. A method for manufacturing a bipolar battery, comprising thesteps of: providing positive electrodes, separators, negative electrodesand biplates to construct a desired number of battery cells inside acase, arranged between a positive endplate and a negative endplate;providing a positive access point to the positive endplate, and anegative access point to the negative endplate; providing a gasket, asdefined by claim 1, between at least one of each biplate and betweenbiplate and each endplate to create a common gas space within thebattery; providing a passage to the common gas space from the outside ofthe battery; compressing all gaskets arranged between the positiveendplate and the negative endplate to provide an outer pressure tightseal for the battery and to prevent the formation of electrolyte pathsbetween adjacent cells; and filling the separators with electrolyte. 21.The method according to 20, wherein the method further comprises aformation step after the separators has been filled, the formation stepcomprises at least two charging and discharging cycles.
 22. The methodaccording to claim 21, wherein the formation step comprises the stepsof: charging and discharging the battery with a liquid supply attachedto the passage, and charging and discharging the battery without aliquid supply attached to the passage to remove excess liquid from thebattery.
 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the liquid isselected to be at least one of water and electrolyte.
 24. The methodaccording to claim 20, wherein the step of filling of the separatorswith electrolyte comprises: attaching an electrolyte reservoir to thepassage to the common gas space, evacuating air from the common gasspace, filling electrolyte into the common gas space, and transferringelectrolyte to the separators from the common gas space.
 25. The methodaccording to claim 24, wherein the air is evacuated from the common gasspace through the passage before the electrolyte is filled into thecommon gas space.
 26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the airin the common gas space is evacuated using an opening being separatefrom the passage, whereby the electrolyte is introduced into the commongas space during evacuation.
 27. The battery according to claim 10,wherein the battery is provided with a positive and negative terminalconnector being in contact with the positive and negative endplates,respectively, said terminal connectors being adjustably arranged to thecase.
 28. The battery according to claim 27, wherein a first end of eachterminal connector is arranged to be attached to each endplate, and asecond end, distal from the first end, is arranged to be fasten to thecase of the battery.
 29. The battery according to claim 28, wherein eachterminal connector is attached to the respective endplate via afeed-through, which is secured in the case.
 30. The battery according toclaim 28, wherein the second end of each terminal connector is bent, andis fastened to the case by inserting the bent portion into one out ofone or more grooves arranged in the case.
 31. A bipolar batterycomprising the gasket of claim
 1. 32. A starved electrolyte bipolarbattery comprising the gasket of claim
 1. 33. The gasket according toclaim 1, wherein the bipolar battery is a starved electrolyte bipolarbattery.
 34. The battery according to claim 10, wherein the battery is astarved electrolyte bipolar battery.
 35. The method according to 20,wherein the method is for manufacturing a starved electrolyte bipolarbattery.
 36. A gasket according to claim 4, wherein the guidance meanscomprises the gasket of the gasket.
 37. The battery according to claim13, wherein the guidance means comprises the rim of the gasket.